Getting Started with Goal Setting

Think about how you define success. Is success about money, friendship, or power? Is it about achieving excellence in college and beyond, or is it about finding a sense of purpose in your life? For most people, success is a combination of all these factors and more. Although luck or “who you know” may play a role, first and foremost your success will be the result of intentional steps you take. So, in your quest for success, where do you start?

Identify Your Personal Strengths Do you like to talk, deal with conflict, and stand up for yourself? Are you a good reader? If your answers to these questions are “yes,” you may want to consider a career in the legal profession. Are you a good science student, and do you enjoy working with your hands? If so, you might want to think about dentistry. Your campus career center can help you discover your unique strengths—and weaknesses—which can influence your direction as you explore career choices.

Ask Yourself Tough Questions Am I here to find out who I am and to study a subject that I am truly passionate about, regardless of whether it leads to a career? Am I here to engage in an academic program that provides an array of possibilities when I graduate? Am I here to prepare myself for a graduate program or for immediate employment? Am I here to obtain specific training in a field that I am committed to? Am I here to gain specific skills for a job I already have?

Establish Goals for Today, This Week, This Year, and Beyond Although some students prefer to “go with the flow” and let life happen to them, those students are more likely to flounder and less likely to achieve success in college or in a career. So, instead of “going with the flow” and simply reacting to what college and life present, think instead about how you can take more control over the decisions and choices you make now, because these decisions and choices will lay the foundation for the achievement of future life goals. It is easy to make vague plans for the future, but you must determine which short-term steps are necessary if those plans are to become a reality.

College is an ideal time to begin setting and fulfilling short- and long-term goals. A short-term goal might be to read twenty pages from your history text twice a week to prepare for an exam that will cover the first hundred pages of the book. A long-term goal might be to begin predicting which elective college courses you could choose that would help you attain your career goals.

Thinking about a career might seem unrelated to some of the general education courses you are required to take in your first year. Sometimes it’s hard to see the connection between a history or literature course and what you want to do with the rest of your life. If you’re open to learning, however, you may discover potential areas of interest that you have never considered before, and these areas of interest may lead you to discover a new career path.